Buns Buns Buns
If you ask me, there’s nothing more fun to bake than buns. Why? Well, I love baking and eating bread, so when I’m wondering what I should bake, the answer is always bread. Then, I think bread with fun flavors and additions is the most enjoyable to create. Finally, there’s just something about buns instead of a loaf that really appeals to me. Maybe it’s because you get a bun to yourself and it’s like a mini-loaf, so you get the crust and crispy exterior as well as the fluffy interior all in one package. Whatever the reason, buns are one of the best things to bake for a big group of people or to eat throughout the week. We’ve shared many bun recipes on this blog over the years, including savory and sweet options, and you can browse them here.
Today’s Recipe
Unsurprisingly, today’s recipe is another bun recipe! These are pretzel-shaped buns with chunks of almonds and chocolate. We have adapted this one from our kardemommekringler (cardamom pretzels) recipe, which you can check out if you like cardamom buns. This recipe idea came about because we wanted to come up with something in a fun shape with yummy flavors, and there aren’t many better combinations in Scandinavian baking than almond and chocolate! The pretzel shape also means there’s a lot of surface area for a lovely crust to form, while the inside is still nice and fluffy. These are the perfect bun to make for a gathering of people, like a birthday party or brunch, or you can just make them on a Sunday and eat them throughout the week.
Fluffy and Flavorful
What makes these buns so delicious? The almond and chocolate combination is just so tasty, with the chocolate adding a bit of sweetness and the almonds adding some crunch and some nutty flavor too. The dough has sugar, eggs, milk, and butter, making it super soft and easy to work with. When it’s baked, the final product is a very fluffy texture that is yummy both fresh out of the oven and the next day. We like to top them with a bit of pearl sugar or demerara sugar for some added crunch, but feel free to do as you wish. Finally, these buns turn out really attractive and beautiful to look at, and as you know, we eat with our eyes first. Make these for your next family or friend gathering and you just can’t go wrong!
Versatile Buns!
How should you eat these pretzel-shaped buns? Like we always recommend, you should do whatever you want! And honestly, you can’t really make a wrong decision when it comes to these buns. They are great eaten on their own or cut in half and topped with various toppings. Butter is of course the first one that comes to mind, but you could also add jam or Nutella. You could even branch out and add peanut butter and banana or cream cheese – both would be delicious. What’s your go-to topping for a bun or a slice of bread? Let us know in the comments. Mine is the strange combination of jam and cheese, which is very popular in Scandinavia. But I’m not sure that would be the best option for these almond and chocolate buns.
Ingredients
For these buns, you’ll need the standard bread ingredients: milk, yeast, sugar, salt, an egg, flour, and butter. Then, to add flavor, you’ll need: cardamom, dark chocolate, and chopped almonds. For a topping, you’ll need: an egg, pearl sugar, and extra chopped almonds. Obviously, feel free to substitute a plant-based alternative for any of the animal products. You can choose to use milk or white chocolate instead of dark, and go for another nut instead of almonds. If you want to add a different type of flour, feel free – I think whole wheat or rye flour would add some delicious flavor here, although you might get a slightly less fluffy end product.
Instructions
When it comes to making these buns, you just need a bit of patience. First, combine the dough ingredients and knead until you have a smooth and elastic ball of dough. Then, let this rise for. a while until doubled in size. It’s then time to shape the dough into pretzels. This can be difficult if the dough is bouncing back and seems to be working against you. However, if this happens, just let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes and try again. Once the pretzels are shaped, let them rise again for a second time. Egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and chopped almonds, and bake. Once they’re a beautiful golden-brown color and sound hollow when you tap them, take them out and let cool. Enjoy on their own or cut in half with a thick layer of butter!
Kardemommekringler med mandler og chokolade (Almond and Chocolate Cardamom Pretzels)
Ingredients
- 200 ml milk
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1 large egg *room temperature
- 400 grams all purpose flour
- 42 grams unsalted butter *softened
- 100 grams dark chocolate (can be in the form of chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, a chopped up bar of chocolate, whatever you have!)
- 75 grams chopped almonds
- 1 egg, for egg wash
- Pearl sugar *for sprinkling on top, optional
- Extra chopped almonds *for sprinkling on top, optional
Instructions
- If using active dry yeast or fresh yeast, heat the milk in the microwave or on the stovetop until it is “fingervarm” (finger warm), meaning it should feel warm to the touch but not hot. Add your yeast and a bit of the sugar from the recipe, stir, and leave it for 5-10 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble up. If using instant yeast, you can also follow this step, but it's usually unecessary – you can add it right into the dough!
- Combine the rest of the sugar, cardamom, and the egg in a large bowl. Once the yeast mixture has bubbled up a bit, add it to the egg mixture, or if using instant yeast, you can add that and the lukewarm milk immediately. Mix well.
- Then add the salt, softened butter, and flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together. Tip it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Add more flour if needed – the dough should be soft and smooth, not dry and not sticking to the surface. If using a stand mixer, allow it to knead the dough together with the dough hook for about 10 minutes.
- At the end, knead in your mix ins – the chopped almonds and chocolate chips. Make sure they are as evenly distributed as possible!
- Cover the dough with cling film or a clean dishtowel and place in the fridge overnight for 8 hours, or let rise at room temperature (if room temp is very cold wherever you are, put it in a warm place, i.e. under a light) for 1-1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
- Once your dough has doubled in size, shape into 10 balls to start.
- Then, to shape your pretzels, roll each ball into a thin log, about 1/2" or 1cm wide.
- Bring the ends together towards the center and twist them together once.
- Then press the ends onto the circle to keep the shape. Repeat the process until you have 10 pretzels.
- Place the pretzels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. We put 5 pretzels on each baking sheet, ending up with two sheets.
- Cover and let the pretzels rise for another 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 390F (200C).
- Once the pretzels have risen for the second time, brush with an egg wash – this is just one egg beaten together with a little bit of water until it's well mixed together.
- Sprinkle each pretzel with some pearl or turbinado sugar, and/or some extra chopped almonds if you'd like!
- Bake for about 15 minutes until nice and golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool down.
- Enjoy them plain as they are warm from the oven, or cut in half and top with butter, and/or jam, or whatever toppings you like!
